Common Breaks Down "Black America Again" On Genius' Video Series 'Verified'

About “Black America Again”

“Black America Again” combines powerful, socially conscious lyrics with a jazz-infused instrumental. It is also the title track appearing on Common’s forthcoming album by the same name.

The song’s music video opens with video footage of Alton Sterling’s murder by two white officers of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Following this video clip, Common rhymes about police brutality and discrimination towards black Americans in general. Stevie Wonder’s repeated vocals in the song’s outro solidifies “Black America Again” as a call to action for the fair and equal treatment of black Americans.

What was Common's inspiration for this song?

I was on stage at a soundcheck and this vocalist that I work with named, Maimouna Youssef, was singing a song about Sandra Bland called “Say My Name,” and for some reason it had an emotional effect upon on me because I was thinking about Sandra Bland and how she was singing about her and her life was gone.

This young woman’s life was gone and her family had to deal with that. I was thinking about the history of black people throughout this country, how death has been part of what the system has put on us. Whether it was from the days of slavery to fighting for our rights in Jim Crow to us being killed. I’m talking about particularly our struggle as Black people because some of it is specific as far as the African.

This song could have been written in the ‘60s, it could have been written in the 1800s and still apply and now it’s 2016. It could have been written in the 90s so the fact right there is why I called it “Black America Again.”

As I wrote the song, it took on a new meaning too. It had a double meaning. “Again” was like, we’re writing a new story now. This is the story that we have lived and we’re acknowledging that and paying respect to our ancestors and dealing with those issues but we also are on the path to write a new story.

How did Common hook up with Stevie Wonder for this track?

He is one of the gods of music but not only just an incredible artist but he also spoke up for issues too.

I wrote “Black America Again” and then Stevie Wonder and I had been communicating about doing something. And it was just one of those times where I was like, “Man I need to get in touch with him about this song in particular.”

Because one of his songs was one of the first songs I had on record, the “Happy Birthday” song, which he did as tribute to get Dr. King’s birthday to be a national holiday. That was driving force behind us having Dr. King’s birthday as national holiday. That activism through his music. So for some reason I just knew I needed to get to Stevie and see if he would be open to it.

What happened he had called me one morning when he hit me that morning that’s when I was like, “I want you to hear this song.”

What have the artists said about the song?

“I was inspired by people enjoying art, art being successful, whether it was Kendrick’s album, the play Hamilton, Chance, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book Between the World and Me, people seem like they’re appreciating and they’re open to different types of art.” – Common